It’s been an emotional few weeks for the Foo Fighters as the band has played its first run of shows without longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins. After a year of privately mourning their late timekeeper and emotional heartbeat — who died at age 50 last March while the band was on tour in South America — singer/guitarist Dave Grohl posted a heartfelt message to fans on Tuesday (June 6) thanking them for not just showing up, but for lifting up the band during a difficult re-launch.
“Hey, it’s been awhile. Now that we’ve returned from our first run of shows, I felt compelled to reach out and thank you all for being there for us,” Grohl said in the Instagram post. “Every night, when I see you singing, it makes me sing harder. When I see you screaming, it makes me scream louder. When I see your tears, it brings me to tears. And when I see your joy, it brings me joy. But, I see you… and it feels good to see you, churning up these emotions together. Because we’ve always done this together.”
While Grohl hasn’t spoken publicly about the impact of Hawkins’ death, the Foos’ new album, But Here We Are, has earned widespread praise for what Pitchfork said in a review was its spilling of “arena-sized grief, reckoning and resolve” on a moving collection that balances raw emotion with the band’s signature determination to see the light through the darkness.
The note ended with the phrase, “time and time again,” and a “see you soon,” another testament to the Foos’ indomitable” keep on keepin’ on spirit.
The band launched their first tour with new drummer Josh Freese on May 24 in Gilford, N.H. and paid tribute to Hawkins once again during their Boston Calling headlining set two nights later by inviting Hawkins’ teenage son, Shane, to join them on stage for “I’ll Stick Around”; the talented high schooler stole the show in September when he smashed “My Hero” with the Foos at their Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium in London.
The band’s next scheduled date is on June 14 at the Walmart AMP in Rogers, Arkansas.
See Grohl’s note below
